This invention relates to a combination bearing removal and installation tool, particularly a tool which is adapted for removing and installing an annular bearing assembly from and in a spindle-receiving bore of a strut-type vehicle wheel spindle supporting system.
Many current automobile designs use what is commonly known as a McPherson type wheel mount system. That system comprises a wheel spindle which rotates in a bearing installed in a hole that is open at both ends. The hole that is open at both ends is in a member that forms a part of a strut mount for the wheel. The wheel may be either a steered wheel, such as a front wheel of a vehicle, or a non-steered wheel, such as a rear wheel of a vehicle. Moreover the wheel may be either a driven or a non-driven wheel. In the ensuing description and claims, reference to a strut-type wheel spindle supporting system is intended to include the various possible combinations constituting what are commonly referred to as McPherson type mounts.
Automotive manufacturers specify certain procedures for repair and maintenance of the vehicles which they manufacture. For removing the wheel bearing assembly of a McPherson type wheel mount, such as in the case of a front wheel for example, the specified procedure involves disassembly of a part of the strut system from the vehicle. In this particular case the part disassembled from the vehicle is the steering knuckle. Once the knuckle has been removed from the vehicle, it is placed in a suitable fixture where a tool such as a press is used to remove the bearing assembly from the wheel spindle mounting hole. Once the old bearing assembly has been removed, the press is once again used to install a new set of bearings. Then the knuckle is reassembled to the vehicle.
The procedure for replacement of wheel bearings is thus seen to comprise a significant amount of time and labor. This makes a wheel bearing replacement procedure expensive to the manufacturer in the case of a vehicle still under warranty and expensive to the car owner when the vehicle is out of warranty.
The present invention is directed to a new and improved tool which can be used for both removal and installation of wheel bearings from and in a McPherson type wheel mount system without the need to disassemble any part of the strut system from the vehicle. Hence in the example just given, it would be unnecessary to disassemble the steering knuckle from the vehicle.
The invention can significantly reduce the amount of time and labor required to replace a wheel bearing assembly thereby yielding savings to the manufacturer in the case of a replacement of bearings in a vehicle under warranty and to the consumer where the vehicle is no longer within the warranty period.
Moreover, because less disassembly is required, there is less likelihood that the reassembly procedure will be incorrectly performed.
The tool also possesses the advantage of being useful for both removal of an old bearing assembly and installation of a new one. The tool is adapted to respective removal and installation modes of operation by a quick and convenient reversal of parts. Moreover the tool itself comprises a very small number of component parts. It is economical, compact, and well suited for use by shop personnel who typically perform bearing removal and installation procedures.
A still further advantage of the invention is that a single tool can be used for different types of vehicles. The present invention is disclosed in an embodiment which is adapted for two different types of models by way of example.
Another advantage of the invention is that when it is used to remove a bearing assembly the removed bearing assembly is captured by the tool and in that way there is less likelihood of the assembly falling on the ground or onto the person using the tool.
When the tool is used in the installation mode to install a new bearing assembly, it provides an accurate locator for the new bearing assembly, and this is another important aspect of the invention.
The foregoing features, advantages and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.